Seth Eckert posts a little demonstration showing the basics of how he created the “tearing” transition effect in his last demo reel, using Cinema 4D and After Effects.
Put together a little tutorial of how to create a tear transition with C4D and AE that I used in my demo reel this year
This presents a great premise, using 3D tools and effects to create matte and transition effects for 2D compositing and motion graphics.
Seth essentially used Cinema 4D’s Cloth Dynamics to set up a tearing effect of an object, and uses that as a transition in After Effects.
As a note, the tutorial has no audio other than dance-pumping music for your enjoyment, so you are able to learn a bit whilst busting a move.